Angel of Fire - Chasing Destiny - Book Three ***COMPLETE!!!***

Show Me A Sign

Chapter 33

I did a flyby of the entire perimeter of the cathedral in an attempt to locate a back door, with no luck. The only entrance seemed to be located right in front of the massive structure. Three formidable looking iron bound doors lined the block long city sidewalk – each one deeply recessed within several arched openings carved entirely out of stone.

It didn't sit right with me to waltz up to the front door of a church and try to break in. But it's not like I had much of a choice. Besides, the place looked like it was locked up tighter than Fort Knox.

This time as I prepared for descent, I mirrored Vycandor's movements and gave a couple of circular wing beats to slow down my landing, before folding back my wings to allow my feet to gently touch the ground.

It almost worked.

Right up to the point where I spied the gleaming richness of a stained glass window depicting an angel in flight with impossibly long red hair and outstretched wings that were completely engulfed in fire. But it was the face of the angel that got my attention the most. A face that glowed with a magnificent brilliance.

My face.

I was still trying to figure out how my likeness got on a freaking stained glass window when I abruptly changed course to get a better look and ended up crashing into...well, I ended up crashing into myself. Thick glass and even thicker metal shattered into a canopy of spider-webbed colors that nearly pinned me to the ground as I skidded down the middle of a mile long row of wooden pews like my own personal landing strip. On second thought, maybe the row of pews wasn't exactly a mile long. But my ass sure felt like it was.

A calm voice came out of nowhere to penetrate the deepening silence. "When I asked God to show me a sign of your impending arrival, I didn't mean literally."

I gasped and sat up, nearly banging my head on an inordinately large piece of twisted metal that had once contained a fiery wing. I guiltily folded my own, snuffing out the flames as they disappeared beneath my shoulder blades, leaving ghost-like tendrils of smoke to linger in the air like hell's own barbecue.

This was a real first for me. I'd never been inside of an actual functioning church before, let alone to experience the majesty of a cathedral of such epic proportions. Heavy on symbolism, the opulence of the decor was a veritable feast for the senses with lifelike statues of saints, lavish stained glass windows and multiple tiers of burning candles, while the spicy aroma of incense tickled my nose and the peaceful chants of Gregorian Monks filled my ears.

I might have even enjoyed the experience if I wasn't in such a hurry to save Thomas.

"Yeah?" I replied with a scowl. "Whenever I ask God for help He never answers me, so count it as a blessing."

A young priest appeared out of the shadows, wearing a long black robe with red trim and a deep violet sash tied around his narrow waist. "Maybe you're just not asking the right questions."

My eyebrows crinkled together in frustration. "Here's a question for you...how did my face get on your church?"

The priest shrugged noncommittally. "I have always believed that in the last days, a pair of angels will unite to rid the world of evil. That's what inspired me to create the stained glass art in the first place. I had a vision. A vision of you and another angel." He paused to point at the colorful remains of shattered glass – now littering the highly polished marble floor like precious gemstones. "I paired the the two of you side by side, your glowing red and golden wings proudly displayed as a shimmering beacon of hope for all the world to see."